Brutality & Hypocrisy

Wow, this morning I was hit pretty hard with a few lessons on love. God has such a great way of humbling me!

I attended a ladies Bible study that a lady at my church leads and the book the group has been going through was entitled, Lord, Change My Attitude. Today's topic was on "Replacing a Critical Attitude with Love." The opening passage was 1 Corinthians 13, which we've all heard so often. Sure, I thought I would pick up some good reminders.

But, let me tell you.

There was way more than just some good reminders! And I'm praising Him right now for that!

{The Way of Love}
    If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
    Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
    Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
    So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
{1 Corinthians 13 ESV}

The gist of the message was-- We are to be FULL of BOTH Grace & Truth--just like Christ! :)
{John 1:14} 

Truth without love is brutality. {harsh, bitter, aggressive}

Love without truth is hypocrisy. {harmful, leads to destruction}


You see, without LOVE I am absolutely nothing. That's what God says! I do absolutely no good. Even if I give an eloquent, powerful, doctrinally accurate speech, I will reach no one without love. Christ didn't begin His ministry by simply calling out sin in people's lives...no, He began by reaching out and displaying love. He reached out to me. He made a way so that I could know His love.

But, without TRUTH I will do no good. If I truly love someone, I will want the very best for them. That means--I want the unsaved to find Christ and I want my brothers and sisters to pursue Christ! I will be FOR them, and love them even if it stings for a moment {Proverbs 27:6}.

We need to be wise in approaching people with love and truth. We must choose whether an issue is major or minor. {Is it a critical path or just a personal preference? Is it chronic or very rare? Is it someone who is close to me or am I assuming?}

After answering these questions we must be sure to put the individual's needs above our own.

Because, that's what Christ did. He didn't spend His time in constant criticism...He spoke when it was necessary and loved without reserve.

I remember this quote I saw... {I think on Pinterest (; }

"Preach the Gospel at all times, when necessary use words."

*Points taken from James MacDonald*